Notes & Quotes: The Lady Raiders are going to be extremely young in coach Kendall Webb’s second season leading the program. They return just 1.2 points from last season’s team. That’s what Laeschelle Wright averaged as a freshman. Rider will benefit from the return of senior Makayla Mays after the senior point guard missed all of last season with an ACL injury. “We will play faster and run the floor,” Webb said, “and be able to rotate a little more often.” Mays is the lone senior on the team. There are no juniors projected to the varsity roster with all sophomores and freshmen making up the rest of the squad. “The inexperience will hurt us at times,” Webb said. He does expect the Lady Raiders to be in contention for a playoff spot, a prospect that’s helped by a small five-team district.

Notes & Quotes: First-year coach Bre Brooks believes she’s inherited a team that has a chance to end a three-year playoff drought. D’renea Singleton was the team’s second-leading scorer last season and came on strong during district play. Jada Jackson has great size that allows her to alter shots inside and be a force on the boards. Yasmine Garrett is another good rebounding option, making that a strength for the Lady Coyotes. Brooks is hoping a leader will step up and take hold of the team on the court, helping them compete with a small, yet solid district. “We are in a strong district where teams like Abilene Wylie are known to win a state championship and have great basketball IQ,” Brooks said. “I’m looking forward to some great basketball in district. We need to find leadership, courage and a different level of competitiveness.”

HIRSCHI LADY HUSKIES

Coach: Krataura Buckner

2017-18 record: 14-14, 5-3 (third in District 6-4A)

Last playoff appearance: 2017-18 (lost in bi-district)

Top returners: Patience Murphy (G/F, Sr.), Eternity Hull (G, So.)

Top newcomers: Ashton Carter (PG, Fr.)

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Hirschi's Eternity Hull had a strong freshman season she'll try to build on as a sophomore for the Lady Huskies.(Photo: Lauren Roberts/Times Record News)

Notes & Quotes: Buckner is entering her third season at the helm of the Hirschi program, hoping to finally top Burkburnett and Graham for a district title. The Lady Huskies do return two starters, including last season’s leading scorer, senior Patience Murphy. Sophomore guard Eternity Hull showed flashes of brilliance on the offense end as a freshman and is expected to be more consistent this season. … Buckner sees the Lady Huskies as a district contender along with Burkburnett and Graham, but admits there’s a lot of unknown surrounding the district. “I think this year can go any way with all the teams losing some key seniors,” Buckner said. “It’s going to take hard work, mental toughness and perseverance for us to reach our goals.”

Burkburnett senior Eternity Jackson is hoping to lead the Lady Bulldogs to a sixth straight district title.(Photo: Lauren Roberts/Times Record News)

Notes & Quotes: The return of Eternity Jackson makes Burkburnett a favorite in the district once again. She averaged 17.9 points, three rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.8 assists per game as a junior, earning Red River 22 and TGCA all-state honors. The Lady Bulldogs will need to find the counter punch that Carolyn Thomas served as last season. Senior Sarah Nolan and Jada King will each be expected to pick up some of the scoring slack. Coach Alex Koulovatos is entering his 33rd season at the helm of the Lady Bulldogs and has won five straight district titles. He doesn’t see a sixth straight coming easily, but believes the Lady Bulldogs will be right in the mix. “I believe our district will be very close,” Koulovatos said. “You better take care of your home games because I think any team can win on any night. We will have to grow as a team throughout the season. We will have to gain experience and learn how we are going to play this year.”

Iowa Park's Jade Martin (1) last played two seasons ago and hopes to be a boost for the Lady Hawks after missing last year with a knee injury.(Photo: Lauren Roberts)

Notes & Quotes: Griffin Fields is taking over the Iowa Park Lady Hawks program after a very successful tenure at Muenster. Fields boasts a career record of 296-149, including a regional tournament appearance as recent as 2016 in Muenster. He brings a new system with him to Iowa Park but hopes a large senior class can adjust quickly to it and put the Lady Hawks in contention for the district title. “We will have to gel as a team, learn the new system, defend at a high level and shoot the ball well to compete in this district,” Fields said. “The district is loaded with athletes on every team with some well-established, veteran coaches. It will be a dogfight every night.” The Lady Hawks will be led by senior guard Kristina Diaz, who was a second-team all-district player last season. The return of senior guard Jade Martin from an ACL injury will add more athleticism to the backcourt. In all, Iowa Park has eight seniors on this year’s squad.

City View's Mackenzie Cave is one of several returning players the Lady Mustangs hope can lead to move success on the court this season.(Photo: Lauren Roberts/Times Record News)

Notes & Quotes: Dusti Cribbs takes over the program from tenured coach Mark Styles after serving as an assistant under him for two years. Cribbs hopes to get the Lady Mustangs to the postseason for just the second time in program history and is relying on a group of juniors and seniors who have taken their lumps over the past two seasons. Cribbs believes the Lady Mustangs have enough speed and athleticism to contend for a playoff berth, a goal that is much more achievable than in past years thanks to Jacksboro, Boyd and Paradise leaving the district with only Childress coming in as a replacement. “Having Bowie in our district always makes it feel a lot tougher,” Cribbs said. “Nocona showed out with a newcomer last year, so they should be a team to really watch. This year feels like there are not any obvious outliers. I think it will be a fight all the way to the end for playoff spots.”

Notre Dame senior Trisha Palomo (right) will run the point for a Lady Knights' squad hoping to reclaim the district title.(Photo: Lauren Roberts/Times Record News)

Notes & Quotes: Just like each of coach Steve Smith’s previous four seasons leading the Lady Knights, the team will depend on strong team defense to have success. Notre Dame gave up just 29.5 points per game last season and return three starters, including junior Reagan Macha, the district’s Defensive Player of the Year. Seniors Ellen Parkey and Trisha Palomo were each all-state selections who will lead the team offensively. The district got a little tougher with the addition of Plainview Christian, which drops down from TAPPS 2A, but Smith believes the Lady Knights can win a district title and make a run at state. “Our girls will be hungry to bring the district championship back to Notre Dame as we let it slip away for the first time in four years,” Smith said. “This team will have the talent to get to the regional finals again if we can stay healthy. We should be able to put five on the floor that is as good as any we have had the past couple of years.”

Notes & Quotes: Kile Bateman hasn’t coached high school basketball in 30 years but had a record of 33-15 in two seasons leading Dallas Life in the late 1980s. Bateman’s daughter, Naphtali Bateman, is the Lady Stars’ top returner and will run the point. She’s a three-year starter and the lone senior on the team. Defense is expected to be the identity of the team, which hopes to return to the postseason for the first time since 2016. The Lady Stars will have to contend with a tough district to do so. “There is no pressure on this year’s team,” Kile Bateman said. “Only a desire to improve, compete and enjoy this great game.”

Notes & Quotes: Coach Shatoia Gober expects the Lady Warriors to compete for a district title and push for a deep playoff run in her third season with the program. "It's a well-balanced district and we added two new teams," Gober said. "It'll be good to experience something different and new. It's very unpredictable but great ball is to be played. We have to stick together through it all, really capitalizing on our goals throughout the season and more importantly having fun." The Lady Warriors will benefit from the experience of a strong senior core that includes point guard Lauren Spragins, post Danielle Okeke and guard Kelsey McClellan.

FIVE AREA PLAYERS TO WATCH

Baylee Thompson, Jr., Jacksboro – Thompson is a two-time member of the Red River 22 team. She averaged 14 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. She’ll be a MVP candidate in the Tigerettes’ new district.

Averee Kleinhans, So., Nocona – Kleinhans burst on the scene last season, averaging 19.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 5.2 steals per game. She’s an early favorite, along with Thompson, for Red River 22 MVP.

Ryan Gober, Sr., Graham – Gober was the Offensive Player of the Year in District 6-4A, averaging 15 points per game. She topped the 30-point threshold multiple times and will be a MVP candidate this season.

Trinity Tisdale, Sr., Jacksboro – Tisdale was the Defensive Player of the Year of District 8-3A last season and key figure in the Tigerettes’ ability to compete in a new district that includes Brock. Tisdale had two triple-doubles last season and averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 assists and 4.7 steals per game.

Temi Flowers, Sr., Benjamin – Flowers was the third-leading scorer for Benjamin last season, but the top two, including older sister Myca, graduated. Flowers averaged 12.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 6.4 steals per game as a junior.

THREE AREA STORYLINES TO WATCH

Can Graham claim sole possession of the top spot in District 6-4A?

Burkburnett has won five straight district titles, but Graham at least forced the Lady Bulldogs to share it last season. The Lady Blues have more returning talent than any other team in the district, making them a favorite to end Burk’s run of consecutive district titles.

Will Bowie and Windthorst continue their run of district titles?

Each team has dominated its respective district, but both must replace huge pieces from last season’s squad. Windthorst has to replace Tatum Veitenheimer, who is now playing for the Oklahoma Sooners. They’ll count on three returning starters, including Kora Pennartz, to make up for Veitenheimer’s production. The Trojanettes remain the district favorite.

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Windthorst's Kora Pennartz is one of several Trojanettes being counted on to make up for the loss of Tatum Veitenheimer.(Photo: Lauren Roberts/Times Record News)

The same may not be true for Bowie, which must replace the elite scoring punch from Kamryn Cantwell, now playing at Southeastern Oklahoma. The Lady Rabbits don’t return as much experience as Windthorst and also have to deal with an up-and-coming Nocona squad. But many believe coach Chuck Hall will keep the Lady Rabbits in the mix.

How will Jacksboro fair in a stronger district?

Just as it did in football, Jacksboro was moved into a district that send it south. The Tigerettes would have been the district favorite had they stayed with Bowie and Nocona but should still figure into the District 7-3A title race. Brock is a perennial threat in the region and will be the Tigerettes main competition for a second straight district championship.